Fluctuation Compensation of a Multi-legged walking Platform Using Cam Mechanism

Abstract

A novel compensation cam based vertical-locomotion-free walking platform with four single-DoF close-chain quadruped units is proposed to compensate the harmful vertical movement of the platform. Four quadruped walking units are arranged at the corners of a rectangle platform. As a characteristic of the ordinary legged platform, the vertical locomotion and impact does harm to the walking platform and the transported goods. With a properly designed cam mechanism in each unit, the platform moves smoothly and the load on the platform seldom rises or falls along vertical direction. In the paper, the kinematic of the close-chain leg is analyzed and the mechanical design of the cam mechanism and the platform are shown. Furthermore, the performance of the platform is verified by dynamic simulation. Based on the kinematic analysis of the mechanical leg, this paper emphatically discusses how the cam mechanism is designed and used to compensate the vertical locomotion of the platform without adding an extra DoF.